According to a survey conducted in 1994 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States regarding how medical aids were used in the US, 47.1% of traction belt users were 44 years old and under, 36.4% were 45˜64 years old, and 16.5% were 65 years old and above. Traction belts—though less frequently used by those 65 years of age and above, who typically make more use of such personal mobility aids as walking sticks, walkers, and wheelchairs—are very important and common medical aids for other age groups.
The inventor of the present invention has found, after years of survey and research, that traction belts are often worn by office workers, computer users, those who handle heavy objects, and salespersons who are required to stand for a long time. These people use traction belts to support the lumbar region, with a view to reducing the pressure on the vertebral joints, lumbar spinal discs and the surrounding tissues, limiting the mobility of the lumbar vertebrae and the lower back, maintaining the normal lumbar curve, and correcting or adjusting body posture. Traction belts also serve to keep or increase abdominal pressure, alleviate the force acting on joints, decompress herniated lumbar spinal discs, relax muscles, reduce convulsions or spasms, and enhance blood circulation around back muscles to promote tissue recovery and relieve pain.
Most of the traction belts on the market are made of elastic fabrics, including nylon, LYCRA® fibers, and so on, but these traction belts generally do not provide the desired support, traction, decompression and protection. As an improved version, air traction belts were developed. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an existing air traction belt 1 with an inflatable space formed therein. The outer side of the air traction belt 1 is connected with an air valve 12 to which an air pump can connect for the purpose of inflation. The outer and inner sides of the air traction belt 1 are respectively provided with fastening elements 10 and 11 (e.g., self-adhesive fabrics or VELCRO®). Once the air traction belt 1 is wrapped around the user's waist, the fastening elements 10 and 11 can be fastened to each other to provide a fixing effect. To use the air traction belt 1, it is necessary to wrap the fraction belt around the waist very tightly in advance before inflating the traction belt with air. The traction belt must be tightly secured around the waist in order to secure the lower portion of the traction belt to the user's pelvic crest, and secure the upper portion of the traction belt to the lower portion of the user's rib cage. When the traction belt is inflated with air, the traction belt will expand vertically by about 3.25 inches or 8 cm. If the traction belt is not wrapped around the user's waist very tightly, the upper and lower portion of the traction belt will slip against the user's body and this will render the traction belt useless as it will not provide the traction and decompression effects. Another problem with the traditional air traction belt is that it is soft and resilient even after it's fully inflated. Due to it's resiliency, it cannot provide adequate support.
To tighten the traditional air traction belt 1, the user has to apply a considerable force with both hands when tightening the air traction belt 1 and fastening the fastening elements 10 and 11. However, the inventor of the present invention has found that most users have problem completing this tightening and fastening action, and those who with relatively less physical agility and strength (e.g., the elderly and the sick) cannot complete this tightening and fastening action at all. Moreover, in tightening the air traction belt 1, the user's arms are folding inward and crossed awkwardly, which hinders force application. In addition, the great width of the air traction belt 1 makes it difficult for the user to grasp the air traction belt 1 and apply pulling forces thereto. As a result, many users cannot wrap the air traction belt 1 tight enough around the waist in order for the air traction belt 1 to provide sufficient support, traction and protection.
Besides, referring to FIG. 1, when the outlet valve 20 of the air pump is connected to the air valve 12 of the air traction belt 1, the two valves are held in the connected state only by a fixing clamp 21, which, according to the survey and research conducted by the inventor of the present invention however, cannot firmly connect the outlet valve 20 and the air valve 12 during the inflation process. Hence, with frequent leaks, the air pump cannot pump air into the air traction belt 1 efficiently. Not only does this inefficient pumping process result in a waste of time, but also the user may unknowingly use the air traction belt 1 in a not fully inflated state which provides inadequate support without having traction, stretching or decompression effect to the user's waist.
In addition, in the current market, when a consumer orders a fraction belt online or over telephone, he/she often get the fraction belt that does not fit him/her properly. Though the consumer can buy a fraction belt from a retail store, he/she may still pick up a traction belt that does not fit him/her since the salesclerk of the retail store does not know the user's waist size, and the users themselves often doesn't know what their correct waist sizes are. In fact, a traction belt that is too small cannot be wrapped around the waist, and a traction belt that is too loose will not provide support, traction, stretching and decompression to the consumer's waist, so the right size fitting is essential for the traction belt to provide any benefits to the consumer. In order to provide proper support and traction, an extension piece (such as VELCRO®) is supplied to the consumer for attaching to two ends of the traction belt and adjusting the length of the traction belt, so as to fit the consumer's waist. However, the biggest problem of the traditional traction belt is that it is extremely difficult for the manufacture thereof to design a size fitting every consumer's waist size. Thus, the traditional traction belts must be made in 6 different sizes, i.e. XS, S, M, L, XL and XXL, and each traction belt must be provided with an extension piece in order to fit all the different consumers' waist sizes.
Therefore, the issue to be addressed by the present invention is to overcome the various drawbacks of the conventional air traction belts and design an air traction belt to which a tightening force can be conveniently applied, thus allowing the elderly, the sick, and others with relatively less strength and agility to tighten the air traction belt with ease and receive sufficient support, traction, stretching, decompression and protection therefrom. The new design also combines two belts in one, a soft resilient air expandable traction belt on the inner layer and a rigid non giving support belt on the outer layer. The rigid non giving belt on the outer layer provides strong support when the air fraction belt is either deflated and inflated, while the soft resilient air expandable belt on the inner layer provides traction, stretching and decompression effects on the waist. The new design allows the user to use the air traction belt for support only, and/or for traction, stretching and decompression simultaneously. It is also desirable that the air traction belt does not leak during the inflation process.